Thousands of vehicles drive past the historic Jewish cemeteries on Route 12 at the former Norwich Hospital, and many occupants probably are curious about the 100-year-old stone and iron walls and gates and the well-kept grounds that now have more prominence with the demolition of surrounding former hospital buildings.

On Sunday, June 14, the iron gate will be open for a rare tour of the Norwich Hebrew Benevolent Association portion of the cemetery, led by association president Jerome Schwell. The 1 p.m. tour is part of Norwich Historical Society’s Second Saturday walking tour series, but this one will take place on Sunday to avoid the Saturday Jewish Sabbath.

Schwell and other association members spent recent weeks at the cemetery sprucing up the historical grounds and cleaning gravestones in preparation for the tour. Schwell even made concrete molds at home to make flat concrete blocks to replace crumbled sections of the stone wall that could date back to the cemetery’s founding in 1889, or the year 5650, as the plaque at the front gate says.

Participants in the tour can park in the parking lot to the left of the front entrance and gather at the main gate off Route 12 at the Norwich-Preston border.

Inside the main gate, some of the prominent features of a Jewish cemetery are readily evident. Immediately inside the gate to the left is the bare piece of ground called the “Guenizah,” a word that literally translates as “storage area,” Schwell said.

The Guenizah, dedicated in 2008, contains the burials of religious books and documents no longer usable. Officials from synagogues throughout the state came to the Norwich cemetery in 2008 for the ritual book burial, presided over by Rabbi Charles Arian of Beth Jacob Synagogue in Norwich.

The next Guenizah ceremony is planned for Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. That ceremony too will be open to the public, and Schwell will explain the tradition and lead a second cemetery tour following the ceremony.

Standing near the Guenizah, Schwell pointed to a modern map of the grounds erected by the association to orient visitors to the cemetery. To the right, the most ornate section at the front is owned by the First Hebrew Society. The Orthodox Jewish sections at the front and rear are owned by the Brothers of Joseph.

During the tour, Schwell will point out traditional Jewish symbolism on gravestones, will translate Hebrew text and common phrases used on stones and other features of the historic grounds.

Near the front gate stands the gravestone of Jacob Sternlieb, who died May 18, 1922, at age 19. The stone is a sculpture of a tree trunk, its limbs lopped off – signifying that this was a young person whose life was cut off before it could thrive, Schwell explained.

“The tree of life is a common theme in Jewish culture,” Schwell said.

Few stones in these historical cemeteries bear images specific to the deceased person’s life. But there is one special gravesite Schwell will point out during the tour. Philip Yale Bokoff died in a plane crash in North Africa in 1944 during World War II. A detailed engraving of a bomber plane decorates his grave.

The Route 12 cemetery is not yet full, but is no longer open either, Schwell said. It is a long-standing Jewish tradition to get your affairs in order early in life. Many families buy burial plots early in life to “complete the circle.” Of the 300 plots in the historical cemetery, about 30 to 40 are sold but not yet occupied.

“My parents got married and bought their burial plots,” Schwell said. Louis and Pauline Schwell are buried in a small Jewish cemetery tucked out of the way at the end of Lois Street in Norwich.

About 20 years ago, the Hebrew Benevolent Association purchased 80 acres on Middle Road in Preston for a new cemetery, and about 500 people bought plots in advance, Schwell said. The new cemetery has sections that reflect some new trends in Jewish culture – interfaith marriages and cremation.

Jewish custom avoided cremation, Schwell said, because of the concept that the body is pure and should return to the earth in that form. Thus Jewish burials use only biodegradable wood coffins and wooden pegs. The historic cemetery on Route 12 also does not use concrete vaults, but the new cemetery is required to use vaults by state law, he said.

c.bessette@theday.com

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